


Not So Different After All

by FalseTestimony



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Coming Out, Gen, Light Angst, anyways i love them both a lot and they love each other, happy pride month gang im projecting very hard onto these two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 08:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19314079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FalseTestimony/pseuds/FalseTestimony
Summary: At age 15, Emily tells her father that she doesn't like boys.His response is not what she expected.





	Not So Different After All

**Author's Note:**

> Listen. I wrote this for myself in like 45 minutes, nobody read through this for me and its incredibly self indulgent. If you like it too, then cheers. It's pride month and I'm gay, I can do what I want.
> 
> I personally headcanon Emily as a lesbian and both Corvo and Jessamine as bisexual, so that's reflected in this.

When Emily Kaldwin tells her father at age 15 that she does not like boys, a confession made in a blur of tears, sniffling, and chest tightness, there are a lot of possible reactions she is expecting: disappointment, anger, sadness, among others.

She is _not_ expecting to him nod sagely and say "That's probably a good idea. Men do have a tendency to be rather foolish." before turning back to his tea.

She blinks, once, twice, the tears forgotten in her shock.

“What?”

Corvo looks at her again, eyes crinkling in a fond smile, but he doesn’t reply immediately, waiting for her to gather her thoughts instead.

Emily swallows thickly, before asking in a quiet, shaky voice “So… you’re not mad?”

Corvo’s face falls at that, and for a moment, Emily thinks she’s done it, she’s upset him, it’s all over-- but he shakes his head profusely. “No, no, Emily, I could _never_ be mad at you, not over something like this.” He gets up from his chair and hesitantly reaches for her, unsure if a hug is the right thing to do at the moment.

She responds to the gesture by burying her face into his chest. He wraps his arms around her in turn, holding her tightly as she sobs into his shirt, half-formed apologies and confessions hiccuped into the fabric.

“Emily, Emily, Emily, you know I’ll always love you, no matter what, right? I’ll always be here. Shh, it’s okay, I’m right here, I’m not leaving you. I love you.” Corvo mutters comforts into her hair as he does his best to rub smooth, even circles on her back. He hasn’t seen her this distraught since… well, since 5 years ago, really. It makes his heart ache, to think that his own daughter would be frightened about telling something so simple to him. He quietly curses himself for not telling her about such things sooner. Jessamine would have told her.

But Jessamine isn’t here. So he will have to do.

Emily has calmed down now, her breath simply hitching instead of coming out as gasping sobs, so Corvo loosens his grip, allowing her to take a step back. She scrubs an eye with a balled fist as she looks away, and it's clear that she’s biting the inside of her lip, embarrassed by her emotional display.

“Emily, sweetheart. It’s okay.” She nods a little, still avoiding his gaze. “I understand how feel.” That attracts a somewhat confused glance. “I like men.” That gets her full attention.

“Wh…? But you and mother…?”

Corvo chuckles. “I like all sorts of people, Emily. Your mother was the same way.”

Corvo’s heart soars when he sees the remaining tension in Emily’s shoulders fall away, her face the very definition of relief. He almost doesn’t notice the rather fierce punch she lands on his arm.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?! You made me get so worried over nothing!”

She’s rightfully upset, Corvo supposes as he gingerly rubs his arm.

“I’m sorry, I should have talked to you about this sooner. You have a right to know. It’s just… you never asked, and it never came up, I guess. That’s a pretty pitiful excuse.” He sighs. “I… your mother was so much better at this kind of thing, Em. I’m sorry.”

He’s surprised when Emily reaches up, wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him down into her small shoulder, mimicking what he always did with her when memories of her mother resurfaced and made her spiral back down into grief.

He can almost see the determined set to her jaw, the furrowed, concentrated look on her face. It was a look that she pulled out when she was _going_ to do what she set out for and _nobody_ was going to stop her from doing it. It was a look her mother wore often and it was a look that made her father’s heart swell with pride.

“I’m sorry for getting angry. And for punching you.” She mumbles, arms tightening around his neck. “That’s not what Empresses are supposed to do.”

He hugs her back. “No, I think the Empress had good reason for doing what she did.” He pauses. The silence hangs in the air for a moment, like a held breath. “Emily, I am so, so proud of you, you know that?” He feels her nod before burying her face into his shoulder. “Thank you for telling me about how you feel about girls. That was very brave of you.” Another nod. “Did you know your mother courted a woman for a while? She wasn’t much older than you. Do you want to hear about it over some tea?”

That gets Emily to look up at his face, her eyes filled with amazement. She nods profusely.

Corvo grins.

“Well, this happened not too long after I had been assigned as her Royal Protector…”

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate Dialogue
> 
> Emily: Dad, I'm lesbian  
> Corvo: Hi lesbian, I'm bi.  
> Emily:.......yOOOOOOO


End file.
